NaLu One-Shots
by KaceyMackWriter
Summary: This is a little one-shot that I wrote where Natsu and Lucy are moving in together after E.N.D. and they go and visit Fairy Tail after taking leave from the guild for a while. It's my first NaLu one-shot so let me know if you like it and if you would want me to post more one-shots like this one at some point!
1. Home

Lucy sat by the window of her new apartment, she gazed out at the river view admiring the peace and quiet. The longer she looked, the deeper she thought and she slipped into a memory that made her grin.

 _She layed in bed, coughing and shivering. Her throat was raw and her nose refused to stop running. The illness had bedridden her and she lay there, imagining all the fun her friends were having. But as a single tear welled up at the corner of her eye, she heard shouts of alarm float through her open window. And when she made her way to the window, she was met with an incredible sight: the sakura tree glowing rainbow and floating down the river with Natsu rowing it down._

Lucy smiled at the memory as it warmed her heart but suddenly she felt a longing. To be back in Magnolia with her Fairy Tail friends was a dream but that was all it was: a dream. She may be in Magnolia but visiting Fairy Tail… she didn't think it was going to happen anytime soon.

She pulled herself away from the window, staring at all the boxes that she had yet to unpack and sighed.

"Well that doesn't sound like a girl who's happy to be moving in with her boyfriend!" Natsu had crept up behind her and he wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up and twirling her in the air.

"Hey!" Lucy yelled, but she giggled. She ordered him to put her down and he obliged but not before spinning her around once more. She held onto his arms for balance when he set her on the ground, since her head now spun wildly. Natsu held her steady and when her vision cleared, he planted a kiss on her lips.

Lucy grinned but didn't say anything.

"Well?"

"Well what?" She raised an eyebrow but he raised his own in response.

"Well… why don't you sound happy to be moving in here?" He asked.

Lucy shook her head, ruffling his pink hair. "You know full well I'm ecstatic to be moving in here with you, Natsu. It's just…" She paused, hesitating.

"It's just, what?" He asked, eyes softening. He could tell that something was off.

"I just… miss the guild."

Nastus eyes drifted to the ground and Lucy looked away too, knowing that he already felt guilty.

It had been his idea to leave the guild for a while after the ordeal with E.N.D. None of his guild mates could look at him the same after he defeated Zeref and though Erza and Gray were two of his best friends, Natsu could tell that there was something unresolved between them. The tension only grew when Lucy was discovered unconscious after the battle, barely alive. Her injuries had been so severe that most were convinced that she was dead when her body was found.

Lucy absentmindedly ran a finger over the scar that traced the length of her arm. It was one of many that covered her body since then but the biggest one was one she kept covered at all times. The scar ran from just under her left ear all the way down her back and she had a hard time styling her hair to keep it concealed but she managed.

The day Lucy woke up, she found Natsu crying on her bedside. Her memory appeared damaged as she didn't remember anything from the battle so when she woke, confusion was the first thing that came to mind. Confusion about why Natsu was crying on her bedside, why he smothered her in a hug the second he saw that she was awake and why the rest of the guild was so relieved when they found out. And the first time they were alone after she woke up, Natsu confessed his love for her, stating that he couldn't hide it any longer. The two had been together ever since, Natsu by her side through her recovery and the months after.

Then Natsu announced his leave from the guild for a while and Lucy went with him. They traveled for a while together, around Fiore until Natsu asked Lucy to move in with him.

Lucy waved off the memories. "Nevermind… Come on, we've got boxes to unpack!" She smiled but the warmth in her heart had been pierced by a sliver of ice that froze it. She reached for a box of clothes and picked up one of her old outfits, raising it to the light. The light caught the pink Fairy Tail mark on her right hand, and her eyes drifted to it.

Natsu hadn't moved from where he was and she felt his eyes on her back, watching her every move. Guilt rose in his chest again until finally it burst. "Okay! That's it! We're going to visit the guild!" Lucy's head whipped around in shock, she stared at her boyfriend confused but he simply shrugged. "You miss it. I may have my own problems but what you want is more important."

A soft rosy glow appeared on Lucy's cheeks. She stood there completely dumbfounded and unsure of what to do. "O… okay." But soon her confusion was replaced with excitement and Natsu could barely register it when she got up and started rushing around the apartment. At first, he didn't understand what she was up to until he realized that she was tearing everything apart looking for her makeup and the perfect outfit to wear.

He grinned to himself, admiring how cute his girlfriend was and moved on to unpack some of the boxes while she got ready. Twenty minutes later, he'd unpacked the rest of their clothes and put them into their respective drawers but Lucy had disappeared. After an extensive search of the apartment, he found Lucy sat on the toilet with her makeup done but she hadn't yet changed.

It was Natsu's turn to be confused when he finally saw that she'd been crying and staring at the clothes that she had picked out. They weren't the usual jeans, t-shirt and jacket that she usually wore but something that showed a bit more skin. It was then that he realized just what was going on, why she was sitting on the toilet instead of getting ready and why she'd pulled her sleeves over her hands to cover her arms completely.

Natsu sat down in front of her, taking her hands in his. Her fingers trembled when he unwrapped them from her sleeves but he held them tightly, staring into her eyes. As much as he wanted to say something, nothing that came to mind seemed right but after all their time together there were no words needed. Instead they had a silent conversation with on their locked eyes. He hoped that she understood just how beautiful she was no matter what scars she had.

Grabbing the clothes that she'd left on the radiator, he handed them to her, hugging her tightly and as he did, he found the right words. "You are the most beautiful woman in all of Fiore, scars or not, you always will be." He whispered into her ear.

"What… what if… they don't want me back? Because… I'm damaged." She stuttered, her words barely a whisper. He pulled away from the hug, holding her shoulders and looking directly into her eyes again. Her mascara had smudged a bit and there were a few dark streaks on her cheeks.

"Then Fairy Tail be damned because I will always love you, always want you and always _always_ need you." Natsu hugged her one more time, then left her alone, shutting the door behind him. He waited outside the bathroom door for her and sure enough five minutes later, the door opened again. Lucy hugged herself, covering her arms and holding herself awkwardly as she tried to cover her scars but Natsu moved her arms away, unwrapping his scarf from around his neck and placing it around hers. She smiled gratefully to him, hugging the scarf instead.

The two left the apartment, hand in hand, and walked down the streets of the market towards the guild hall. As they walked, Lucy gained more confidence and she started to walk the same way that used to and though the two attracted more than a few looks from passerby, Natsu shut them down with a harsh glare before Lucy could see. Both of them were well known mages who'd disappeared for months after a huge fight and it was no secret that they were both covered in scars. _There's no need to gawk._ Natsu thought, conveying that thought through his glower.

They reached the doors and Natsu stepped back, behind Lucy waiting for her to open them. Though she put her hand on the handle, she didn't open it. Instead she just stood there, staring at it like if she tried to turn it, it might bite her. Natsu stepped forward again, putting his hand on hers. Lucy glanced up at him gratefully, the two nodding at each other.

Lucy pushed through the doors of the guild hall, her heart pounding wildly. As usual it was mind-numbingly loud but the second she stepped foot inside, the noise died. Lucy glanced behind her at Natsu who shifted from foot to foot nervously as all eyes in the guild hall turned on them. And the uproar started again but focused directly on them.

"Lucy!" Levy screamed with delight, the blue haired bookworm sprinted over, pulling a reluctant Gajeel in tow.

"Levy!" Lucy shouted back to her friend. When Levy reached Lucy, the two wrapped their arms around each other, holding one another in a tight hug. They stood there in the middle of the door, refusing to let go of each other.

"Geez Levy, it hasn't been _that_ long since you've seen her." Gajeel muttered from behind them, clearly distraught that Levy wasn't paying more attention to him. But the moment she glared at him from over Lucy's shoulder, he shut up, going red in the face.

Natsu stood off to the side awkwardly as member after member of Fairy Tail greeted Lucy. Erza hugged her so tight that Lucy squeaked. Gray opted for a high five after seeing Juvia's death glare when he tried to hug her too.

"Oh I missed you all so much!" Lucy exclaimed, after releasing Mira from a hug. And while Lucy laughed and caught up with Fairy Tail, Natsu stood off to the side, unsure of what to do. Eventually he got sick of standing there and taking in all the side glances from his former guild friends and turned to walk out but the second he set foot outside the door, someone with freezing cold hands grabbed his shoulder tightly.

Gray pulled Natsu outside with Erza right behind them.

"What the hell, Gray!?" Natsu said, glaring at the two of them. "I know I'm not wanted here, you've made that very clear, so I'll just be going! Tell Lucy I'll see her at home…"

"Hey! Listen here Flame Brain!"

Natsu scoffed at the insult. He turned away from them but was stopped by yet another hand on his shoulder. Natsu reached up to brush it away but Erza's fingers tightened, twisting his flesh painfully. "Erza!" He shouted.

Erza's stern voice met him. "Natsu, stay where you are." Her tone left no room for argument and he gulped swiveling around to look at the two of them.

Natsu didn't say anything but he raised an eyebrow that said _Well? What the hell do you want?_

Their response didn't come immediately. Gray looked at the ground, stomping his foot angrily like whatever he was trying to say was fighting to stay unsaid. Frost covered the ground where he'd stepped and when Erza saw that his struggle, she stepped in once more.

"We wanted to say that we're sorry. The way we treated you after the battle was deplorable and you didn't deserve it." Erza said, the edge in her voice was now gone. "You are a member of Fairy Tail and nothing will change that, do you understand me?"

Natsu stood there stunned, unsure of what to say.

"Yeah… Natsu." Gray grumbled. "We were wrong… and we'd really like it if you came back to the guild."

For the first time since he'd gotten there, Natsu smiled. A grin that felt familiar to his face, one that held an infinite supply of memories. He nodded. "Thanks, ice princess… Means a lot that you missed me!"

"What!? I didn't miss you!" Gray hollered. He stalked up to Natsu and the two put their heads together just like they used to, both ready to fight.

Erza's laugh filled the air as she pulled the two apart. "Yes, Natsu, we all missed you. To be honest, it hasn't been the same without you and Lucy around. And our team just isn't Team Natsu without Natsu." She grinned just as Lucy stepped out of the guild hall, turning her head in search of the three.

"Natsu? Erza? Gray? What are you three doing out here?" She asked, eyebrows raised once she caught sight of the three.

"Just taking care of something." Natsu smiled, abandoning his fight with Gray and wandering over to her. He took her hand and kissed her forehead. "Come on, we have some catching up to do." He said, his grin widening when he saw that Gray stood beside him with Erza on the other side of Lucy. They walked into the guild together, laughing at nothing in particular. Natsu's heart warmed when the rest of the guild enveloped him into their hug welcome ritual.

As the crowd slowly tapered off, going back to their conversations from before Lucy and Natsu walked in, the two were left to their best friends sat around a table as they regaled the stories of their travels from the last few months.

When Lucy started to tell them about a festival they went to in Crocus, Natsu sat back admiring her and taking in the rest of the guild hall. It hadn't changed much in their time away and Natsu felt a rush of emotion that he hadn't felt in a very long time. _Belonging._ And another word came to his mind when he looked up and saw the yellow and orange banner with the Fairy Tail symbol on it. _Home._ How could he have forgotten already? This was _home_. He and Lucy were finally _home_.

Lucy finished her story and Levy immediately launched into one of her own, something about her and Gajeel on a job and _a very big fish_? Lucy wasn't sure. No offense to her friend but she'd stopped listening about a minute in when she felt a little tug on her head. She turned around to see Natsu holding strands of her hair in his hands, he absentmindedly started to play with her hair, braiding and unbraiding it without even looking.

Levy paused her story, seeing that Lucy had become distracted and grinned in unison with Erza, Gray and Juvia, all of whom had noticed as well. The four (excluding Gajeel who blatantly ignored them), shared a knowing smile as they watched a happily beaming Lucy looking up at Natsu who sat behind her. He noticed her staring at him and leaned down to kiss her.

"Well that sure has progressed…" Gray whispered to the rest of them. They nodded and the movement snapped Lucy back to reality.

"What?" She asked, oblivious to Gray's comment.

"Oh, nothing…" Levy waved off her question but Lucy moved her head to look at each person at the table, all of them giving her the same smile.

Lucy blushed madly, "Oh, shut up!"

"Mmm, no!" Levy chirped.

"Yeah, Lucy! You _loooove_ him!" A familiar voice sang from behind them. All heads swiveled around to see one very familiar flying blue cat hovering above Natsu's head. Happy flung himself into Lucy chest with joy, little happy tears flowing from his eyes.

While the rest of the Fairy Tail members looked shocked to see him, Natsu and Lucy laughed at the addition of their friend.

"Lucy! I missed you!" He cried into her blouse.

Natsu sat forward, chuckling at the sight. "Well what am I, Happy? Chopped liver?"

But Happy didn't look at Natsu or acknowledge him at all. He simply continued to cry to Lucy and when Natsu looked at the others in confusion, none of them knew what to say until Wendy and Carla came up behind him. Carla took one look at the blubbering blue cat and scoffed but Wendy laughed and when Natsu looked to her for an explanation, her smile faded.

She pulled him to the side, periodically glancing at Lucy, Happy and the others. Natsu stared at her expectantly. "Well? What the hell is that about?"

"Um… well… when you told Happy that you wanted him to stay here when you left, he sort of fell into a depression. I mean, you are his best friend and you abandoned him here without much explanation." Natsu examined her expression, seeing how awkward she felt but didn't say anything. "And well, he hasn't really left the infirmary since that day. Not to eat or drink or go on jobs, and well… I guess that he's _mad_ at you for leaving him all alone."  
"But I didn't leave him all alone!" Natsu protested. "He's had you and Carla, Gray and Erza and everyone else in the guild!"

"Yes but Natsu," Erza's serious voice cut into their conversation. "You and Happy have been best friends for a very long time. And then you left him and took another one of his friends with you. Happy's anger is understandable and you need to give him time. To be honest, it's quite a shock to see him out at all."

"Bu… but-"

"No buts, Natsu." She gazed at him sternly and he nodded, still fearing her after all this time.

"Yes, ma'am…" He muttered.

Wendy, Erza and Natsu rejoined the group. Natsu plopped down feeling dejected as he watched Happy and Lucy reconnect. Eventually, Lucy noticed his sulking and her eyes surveyed the group. She took note of everyone's expression and then followed Natsu's gaze to Happy. One look was all it took for her to realize what was going on and pressed pause on her conversations once more. Her instant guilt for not noticing earlier was immediately replaced by an overwhelming urge to fix whatever had happened between the two of them.

Lucy glanced at Erza who got the message immediately. The redhead pushed back her chair forcefully, "I need to go… check something. Gray, I'll need your help." She said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away without any explanation.

 _Two down._ Lucy thought but when she looked at Levy, Levy didn't get the message or she didn't want to leave just yet. "Uh, Lev do you mind getting me some water?" But Levy's eyes narrowed and Lucy winced. Her attempt to get rid of her was obvious and Levy didn't budge. "Please?"  
Surprisingly, it was Gajeel who came to the rescue, "Yeah, shrimp! Let's go get drinks for everyone." He said, picking Levy up despite her protests and carrying her away. Now all that was left was Wendy and Carla but the two had already gotten the message and wandered away for a bit.

Lucy turned, crossing her arms at Natsu and Happy, both of whom had already resulted to turning their backs on each other, each ignoring the other. The second Happy saw that Lucy was trying to get them to make up, his wings appeared on his back and he tried to get away, only to be stopped by a very determined Lucy who'd already grabbed hold of his ear, pinching it tightly.

"Ow! That hurts!" He complained but Lucy didn't loosen her grip. Instead she grabbed Natsu ear with her free hand and forced the two to face each other.

"Now talk…" She ordered and when the two stayed silent she said, "Well I could always just lock you two in a room until you talk to each other. Don't think I won't, Dragneel." Lucy added when Natsu looked at her ready to protest. He opened his mouth to say something to her but she shook her head before he could. "Uh uh… talk to each other, not to me."

"Wow Lucy, you're mean." Both grumbled at the same time. Their shared complaint caused the two the glance up at each other and grin slightly, only to be immediately replaced by frowns again.

It was Natsu who said something first after that. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, regarding Happy. "I'm… sorry, Happy. I know I left you… but at the time, I thought it'd be better for you to be here with the guild." Happy huffed. "I just want you to be… happy, Happy."

Happy's frown deepened. "You don't know what's best for me, Natsu!" His high voice struggled to stay steady as it was laced with anger and pain.

"I know… I know." Natsu said, "I'm sorry!" Both Happy and Natsu's eyes filled with tears when they looked at each other. Happy tried to stay mad but he burst into tears and barreled into Natsu at full speed.

Lucy laughed at the two of them, hugging each other and crying. _You'd think it was those two who were dating instead of Natsu and I._ She thought with a little giggle. "Great! Now that's settled-" Lucy was cut off by Happy crying and she slid away from the two, leaving them to catch up. Now that all her friends were busy, Lucy walked around the guild, looking for something to do. She peered into the room to see if anything had changed and not much had. Then she found herself back in the infirmary and Lucy paused in the doorway.

Flashbacks to waking up with Natsu by her side entered her mind. Memories of her recovery also surfaced and she winced, remembering how long it had taken for her to walk properly again and how painful it had been. She wandered into the room and sat on the bed that she'd woken up in. In a second, every memory of the battle that she'd suppressed resurfaced.

Lucy stared at the wall, shivering but she managed to pick herself up and walk to the window. She stared outside to the guild's "backyard" and an even older memory resurfaced. From the very first months that she'd been in the guild, when Fairy Tail stood up for her, stood with her when Phantom Lord attacked even though she'd only been there for a little bit. Tears filled her eyes and anxieties rose in her chest. Lucy fell back onto the bed, breathing heavily and unable to control her violently shaking hands.

In her absence, Natsu and Happy had gone looking for her. They found her shaking and crying but when Happy tried to comfort her, Natsu stopped him.

Natsu walked to where Lucy was and wrapped his arms around her. While their friends gathered in the doorway, Natsu held Lucy, whispering words of comfort to her. "It's okay… you're okay…" He muttered into her ear. Her hair fell in front of his face and tickled his nose. "It's okay, Luce." Natsu rubbed her back comfortingly, trying to calm her uncontrollable shivers but Lucy only shook harder.

Others who stood in the doorway looked like they wanted to help but didn't know how. Erza stood in front of all of them, blocking their way to give the two some privacy. Happy hovered above the two, looking unsure of what to do but Natsu ignored all of them, focusing only on Lucy.

Her tears soaked his scarf. He held onto her tightly as she sobbed. "You're okay, Luce. We're here for you." Natsu murmured to her. "You're home, Luce. _We're home_."


	2. See Me

Lucy crossed her legs, gazing up at the bright sunlight. The sharpness of it burned her eyes so she raised a hand to block it but when it didn't help, she dropped her hand into her lap and looked down at the grass in front of her. She stared at the grass so long that black edges began to creep into the sides of her vision. Glancing up, Lucy rubbed her eyes and when she pulled her fingers away, they were wet. The tears slid down her hand as she studied them. They curved over the back of her hand and onto her palm, continuously slipping across her skin until they disappeared.

She let out a breathy laugh at the sight, "Wow…" Lucy muttered to no one. "I haven't even started and I'm already crying." Her chest tightened and her next words were unrecognizable as they got lost in an uncontrollable sob that escaped past her lips. Unable to control her tears, Lucy let them go, allowing herself to bawl.

Minutes later when she'd finally regained composure of herself, she spoke again. "I… I think… this is the… the hardest thing…" Her words faltered as she choked a bit on a sob that she'd tried to keep back. "I've ever had to do…" She continued, body shaking like mad. "It's funny… you know? I… had this whole… _speech_ prepared, everything… that I wanted to say… but… I just can't."

Lucy shook her head, blonde strands of hair dropping in front of her face. Before she could continue, Lucy heard another voice just in front of her. She leaned over and saw Natsu, accompanied by Gray, Erza, Levy and a few others. They all looked somber as they marched towards her. Lucy raised a hand to them, smiling despite her tears but when no one waved back, she dropped her hand midwave.

They got about twenty feet away when Natsu, who led the procession, stopped. Lucy couldn't hear exactly what he was saying but after a few seconds, the others backed away while Natsu continued forward. At his side, he held a bouquet of pink roses and even though he held them gingerly, his other fist clenched tightly in fury. H e trudged towards her, eyes staring blankly ahead.

Natsu dragged his feet until he was five feet away when he stopped and knelt to the ground. Though his knuckles had turned white from rage, his face remained passive and unemotional. Then he dropped his head to stare at the grass and when he raised his head again, his own tears had formed.

Lucy let out a sob, her own head sinking low but she whipped her head up when she heard Natsu whisper, "Luce…"

"I'm so sorry…" He continued.

Lucy shook her head furiously, "Don't… don't be sorry…"

"I should've been there…"  
"You couldn't have known…"

"If I'd just gone faster…"

"No one can go that fast…" Lucy shot back every statement he made, refusing his apologies point blank.

Natsu stifled a sob, staring ahead but not looking at Lucy. "Lucy, I'm so sorry…" He repeated.

"I told you not to be sorry… It wasn't your fault" She whispered, "If anything, _I_ should be sorry. For all the trouble that I caused you, all the pain I brought to everyone. It's all my fault." Lucy lamented miserably.

"I knew you'd probably be beating yourself up about it, you always found a way to blame yourself even when it wasn't your fault but you never acknowledged just how much you did for the guild. Lucy, you were the spirit of Fairy Tail!" He shook his bright pink hair, green eyes glazed. "You've done so much for me… so much for Fairy Tail… so much for the world, what're we going to do?" He continued to stare ahead but his eyes seemed to pass right through her, like he didn't want to see her.

The sky above them had darkened, the once bright sun now blocked by dark grey clouds that moved in quickly. With the sun gone, a chilly wind slipped by causing Natsu to shiver slightly.

Natsu hung his head low, his voice raising against the gusts of howling wind. "Luce, you've done so much for me already but can you do one more thing for me? Please…"

She nodded, her head bobbing up and down. "Anything…"

"Could ya… Lucy, could you please… just not be dead? Please? Fairy Tail _needs_ it's spirit… " When he reached 'please', his voice cracked and Natsu's cracked dam finally broke. He let out a garbled sob mixed with a scream that alerted the Fairy Tail members behind him who came running up. " _Please, Lucy!_ " He screamed, scaring birds from their nests. "Why'd you have to go!?"

Lucy's body shook violently, she shot upwards, staring down at him even though his kneeling form was only a blur. "Natsu!" She screeched, "I'm right here! Just look up! I haven't gone anywhere." Her own words swirled into the air. "I'm right here! All you have to do is look up! I'm right here, just _SEE ME!_ " She howled, her throat already raw. Lucy tried to kick her own grave but her foot went right through and her knees buckled and she collapsed right in front of him.

"Natsu…" Lucy said, her voice hoarse as she choked on the words. "Please see me…" Tears welled in her eyes again, dripping down her misty cheeks and dissolving in midair. " _Please…_ "

But Natsu still wept, his tears watering the grass. Crumpled and smashed in his fist was the bouquet of flowers that he'd brought with him. Though Lucy tried to put her hand on his shoulder, it fell right through. And it wasn't Lucy's hand that ended up on his shoulder but Erza's comforting hand to help him through.

She stood strong for him even as her own tears appeared in her eyes but when Erza tried to pull him away from the stone grave, he shoved her hand off of his shoulder. The aggressive movement and Natsu's rejection to her aid was what finally broke the Queen of the Fairies and she collapsed into Gray's arms. Behind them, Levy could be seen wrapped in Gajeel's arms weeping while even the iron dragon couldn't hold back his own tears.

While on her knees, Lucy's tortured scream rang out through the air with no one to hear it but her. And Natsu and Lucy's pained cries clashed together as they screamed each others names. Thunder joined the mix when buckets of rain poured down. Fairy Tail stood grey and blue as the sky turned black.

"Lucy!" Natsu screamed, voice shaking, full of grief and rage. "Please, come back to me!" He opened his fist and dropped the bouquet, stems pulverized from his grip. Then he clenched both fists again, slamming them into the ground causing it to shake. He tried to stand but his poise was off and he ended up back on one knee. To him the world seemed off balance when the light of his life went out… when Lucy Heartfilia died.

It became hard to tell what water fell faster, their tears or the rain. Everyone stood outside getting soaked by a mixture of both. Thunder growled through the sky accompanied by a series of electric flashes. Mother Nature seemed to agree with their pain, as she wailed with them.

Lucy held a hand out, trying to cup Natsu's cheek, trying to let him know that she was there. When that didn't work and her hand fell through his face, Lucy tried to slap Natsu before raising her fists to the sky enraged. "I'm right here, Natsu!" She cried desperately, from the other side of the grave but he still couldn't see her or hear her and he still continued to cry.

He rose from where he knelt, unwrapped his scarf and folded it neatly. Lucy screamed at him, standing directly in front of him but it was no use. She took a step back when he stepped forward and Lucy fell backwards, through her own grave. She crawled back, watching Natsu from the ground as he placed his scarf on top of her grave. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out her Celestial keys, placing them on top of his scarf.

"Lucy…" Natsu's voice cracked when he whispered her name. "If you can hear me… please come back…" He muttered before turning away.

Lucy tried to stand up but found herself unable to move anymore. "Natsu! I can hear you! I'm right here!" She screamed and for a second, she thought she saw his head twitch to look back but he continued on his way, leaving her behind. "Natsu!" She screeched again, trying to crawl towards him but when she looked down, she saw her hands dissolving.

Lucy desperately dragged herself across the ground as her legs started to disappear. Soon her body was gone and all that was left was her face to whisper as tears poured down her face.

"Natsu… I'm here." She breathed and her face withered from existence, leaving the grave and the world behind.


	3. Silence Can Be Deafening

**I really hope you like this one and I hope to write a holiday one-shot for tomorrow! Let me know what you think!**

Natsu's eye twitched as he tried to focus on the board and ignore the conversation going on behind him. Some guy wouldn't shut up, continuing a one way conversation with someone who obviously didn't want to talk to him. Eventually he couldn't even hear what the teacher was saying and he snapped around, staring at the kid ready to yell but when he looked at the girl he was bothering, his words faltered in his mouth.

She was beautiful, I mean drop dead gorgeous with big brown eyes and perfect blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. Whoever she was must've been new because Natsu had never seen her before but before Natsu could even process his thoughts, he was snapped back to reality by the kids gratingly annoying voice.

"So why won't you talk to me, huh? I just want to be friends!" He said even as he placed a hand on her back, she ignored him shoving off his hand. "Come on, don't be so cold!" His hand moved downwards and Natsu's hand twitched and landed in the kids face.

"What the hell!?" He screamed holding his nose as blood spurted from it.

"Mr. Dragneel!" Their teacher, Gildarts, shouted. "Principal's office now!"

Natsu stood up and trudged out, catching one more glimpse of Lucy before he left. Later, after he got chewed out by the principal for a good half hour, he arrived back in the class just as it ended. He grabbed his stuff but looked over at the girl who was also packing up. Gildarts left the room with the rest of the kids who poured out leaving the two of them alone. Natsu walked up to her, meaning to say something when she glanced up at him but got lost when his eye caught hers.

Upon closer inspection, Natsu discovered that Lucy's eyes weren't simply brown. He leaned forward, finding them to be a deep mysterious mocha that drew him in even as she fell back when his nose bumped hers. She dropped to the floor, looking up at him with fear and confusion. "What're you doing?" She asked softly.

Natsu went bright red, started stuttering and ran a hand through the back of his hair. He couldn't even get out a word before she rolled her eyes, got up and walked away. She stopped in the doorway, looked at him and muttered "Thank you." before dashing out. By the time he gathered himself enough to speak, she was gone and had already disappeared into the chaos of the school's halls and Natsu's interest in the girl grew.

At lunch, Natsu's mind kept wandering and he couldn't get her out of his head until Gray slapped him in the face. "HEY! Ice princess, what the hell?!"

"You're spacing, flame brain. I didn't want you to drool."

Natsu leaned in to land a punch on Gray's head but his fist was stopped by a particularly tight hand. Erza stared down at him menacingly and he quivered in his shoes. "Sorry…" He muttered. "I was just thinking about this girl…" Gray raised his eyebrows at Natsu teasingly. "Shaddup!"

"So who is she?"

"No idea, she's in my English class, blonde hair, brown eyes, really quiet."  
"Oh… her." Gray said, looking disgusted.

"What!? Who is she?"

"Seriously?" Gray looked at him but Natsu's confusion only grew. "You really are an idiot. Natsu she's the school freak! Has been since like kindergarten."  
"What!?" Natsu's eyes grew wide but memories flashed through his mind and he realized why she looked familiar. It's because she wasn't new, she'd gone to school with them forever but he'd never really noticed her. She always carried a book and rushed from class to class like the hallways would kill her if she didn't get out of them as quickly as she could and everything made sense again.

"Uhh, Natsu?" Gray said, waving a hand in front of Natsu's face. "Seriously, maybe there really isn't anything up there."

Natsu ignored his comment and as soon as the lunch bell rang, he ran out in search of her again with no luck. It wasn't until after school when he finally remembered her name. _Lucy_ echoed through his mind and for the next week it was all he could think about.

He searched for her in the halls and tried to work up the courage to talk to her in English but failed for several days straight. It wasn't until Friday, when Gildarts left the room that something finally happened. The kid that he'd punched had gathered some friends but they didn't come after Natsu. They went after Lucy, bothering her relentlessly.

She sat there, taking their ruthless comments about her life and body. They spat rumors around the room and Natsu watched unsure of what to do until he saw a tear roll right down Lucy's cheek.

"What's your deal, bitch? Why do you think you're so much better than everyone else that you don't have to talk to us?" One kid shot at her, getting right up in her face.

Finally, Lucy snapped and everyone within a ten foot radius flinched when she slammed down her pencil. "Fine!" She yelled, staring at the kids. "You want to know "my deal"? Here's my deal: I lost my mother at age 6 when I came home to find her laying in the middle of the street. I was 6 years old when I watched the life bleed out of my _mom_ and no one had bothered to help her! I have an abusive workaholic father who couldn't give less of a damn about his only child, and I've never had a friend before, for eighteen years of my life I've never had a best friend because nobody likes me! I've been depressed since second grade and I've wanted to kill myself since fourth"

Her eyes snapped to every single person who dared to look at her. Every Time someone looked into her eyes, you could see them shrink back, see the blood drain out of their face and the will to live disappear from their body. Her eyes were unforgiving to any that dared challenge the newly emerged beast and the kids who started it all looked like they wanted to delete themselves from existence at that very moment.

But Lucy raged on even though she already stolen every bit of life the room had to offer. "And yeah, my life may not be the worst out there but I'd say that it's pretty damn shitty to me so the next time you decide that it would be _fun_ to pick on someone like me, remember this moment! Remember that silence holds a shit ton of secrets that you couldn't understand in your wildest dreams…" Lucy's fury faded, leaving tear streaks down her milky, red cheeks. As the room stared at her, she clamped a hand over her mouth like she couldn't believe those words had just come out of her mouth. Then she snatched her belongings and sprinted from the room almost tripping twice before she made it out the door and down the hall.

One kid had the audacity to laugh which made Natsu rip himself from his seat, stalk over to the kid and grab his shirt. Natsu lifted the kid from his seat, tearing the fabric of his shirt as he did so. "You think that's funny? Huh?" He screamed, pointing at the door where Lucy had exited.

The kid gulped, shaking his head furiously as he met Natsu eye to eye, seeing the fire that flowed through him. Natsu dropped the kid in disgust, kicking a chair over as he dashed out of the room after Lucy.

He bolted down the hall, searching for her even as she seemed to have disappeared. Eventually he burst through the back doors of the school and found her curled up in the alleyway behind it. When she heard his footsteps, she craned her neck to see who it was and at the sight of his obnoxiously pink hair, she turned away again, ducking her head and putting her arms over it.

"Go away…" Lucy muttered, voice muffled by her hands.

Natsu paused a second, gazing at her crumpled form with pity. Guilt had stabbed him in the heart when he thought about all the times he'd ignored her. Everytime that he'd seen her get shoved down in the halls, whenever her books spilled to the floor and everyone laughed but nobody helped. He'd laughed along with them, seeing her but never really _seeing her_ , until now. "No, I'm not going anywhere…" He said softly.

Her head whipped around again and Natsu could see the fire again, blazing in her eyes. It terrified him, _she_ terrified him, but he continued to walk towards her. "It's not like you've ever noticed me before! You're Natsu Dragneel, Magnolia High's golden boy, the star who's perfect at every goddamn thing you do! And look at me, I'm invisible! My superpower is not being seen because no one ever actually wants to see me! I'm a bother to my own father, a nuisance to everyone I've ever met, so why do you all of a sudden want to talk to me? Huh? Why is it that only now, when someone is acting like a dick to me, that you want to help? Want to be my friend? Newsflash for you buddy… no one wants to be my friend or they'd be laughed out of town! So just get out of here, Dragneel! Leave me to my goddamn misery already!"

He stood right next to her now and Natsu knelt down, shaking his head at her demands. Her eyes shone with fear and anger when he reached a hand out and to his shock and ultimate terror, he saw her flinch. Natsu yanked back his hand when he saw how scared she really was of him and when he put her previous raging words from the classroom with it, his eye began to twitch from rage when he realized that her father wasn't just a workaholic. It made him want to track down the asshole and beat him bloody but the tears in Lucy's eyes put out the fire almost as quickly as it started because she needed him here more than he needed to be somewhere else, avenging her.

Natsu sat down and crossed his legs, one over the other and he folded his hands in his lap. Her eyes bore into his soul and he couldn't handle it, ultimately shifting his gaze to the ground before she moved her head again, giving her the back of it as she tried to curl up into an even tighter ball against the wall. "Lucy…" He mumbled. "I… I know I haven't been… a… a friend to you before. But… I regret all of my actions…"

"Ooo regret…" She replied snidely. "Because that makes up for years of ignoring me and treating me like I don't exist… You know apologies can't make everything better! An apology is deception in a nice package… and words are only things that we use to get what we want… So what I'm wondering is… what the hell do you want?"

Natsu sat there stunned by her fierce words. "I… I just… want to be your friend."

"That's a first…" She snorted.

"Okay just stop it!" He burst out. She craned her neck again to look at him and Natsu tried to ignore the look on her face that told him, she'd expected him to burst out. "I just… I mean stop talking about yourself like that. Like you don't matter! Because that's bullshit, Lucy, bullshit!"

This time Lucy shifted her body fully so that all of her faced him and she stared at him shocked but also suspicious. "And how the hell would you know that? You basically didn't know I existed until a week ago!"  
"And then I met you…" He replied his voice soft and his eyes genuinely shining. The shock on Lucy's face grew and she looked like she might cry again. "Lucy, I ignored you for so long without even knowing what I was missing out on. And that was a huge mistake because now that I know you even a tiny bit, all I want to do is get to know you even more!"

Lucy scoffed.

"It's true!" Natsu proclaimed, this time he reached out but she didn't flinch and he took her hands in his. "I really really mean it, Luce. All I want to do, is be your friend."

Lucy's huge brown eyes filled with tears and the wall she built up inside of her shattered. She collapsed in his arms sobbing and unsure of what else to do, Natsu simply held her. Lucy let out everything that she'd taken in but never released and let the waterworks loose. When the tears finally stopped, Natsu whispered something that nearly made them start right back up again.

"You said you didn't have a best friend for nearly 18 years of your life right? Well guess what? Now you have me." And he damn well meant it.


End file.
